March 10, 2016

Most college students spend their summer vacations working, relaxing, and spending time with friends, but Mackenzie Johnson, an Arnold School undergrad from Loveland, Ohio, isn’t like most college students. This summer, Johnson will participate in a 4,000-mile race across the country to raise money and awareness for cancer.

She was initially attracted to this race, organized by the Ulman Cancer Fund, because of their outreach to young adults affected by cancer and also by their promotion of healthy active lifestyles. During the two-month race, Johnson will have the opportunity to volunteer at hospitals and clinics across the country where Ulman funds are donated and her experiences will equip her with a knowledge related to healthy lifestyles for cancer prevention.

“Healthcare is a growing field, and I love public health in particular because it is so broad, and it really allows you to explore and find specific areas that you are passionate about,” says the public health major who would like to work at a hospital or government agency, such as the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, before attending graduate school. “I like the population level side of healthcare, and I enjoy studying the ways in which programs, policies, infrastructure and culture influence the health of massive amounts of people in the United States and around the world.”

Johnson plans to use this summer to learn more about what makes the Ulman Cancer Fund successful so that one day she can apply those principles in her future career. “The 4K for Cancer aligns with my public health interests because it is a program put on through the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, which is a non-profit organization that helps improve the lives of young adults with cancer nationwide,” Johnson says.